


Motes & Motors: "We're All Adults, Here"

by martieek



Series: Motes & Motors [3]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Greasers, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Arguing, Developing Relationship, Exposition, Family, Family Drama, Friendship, Gen, Implied Relationships, M/M, Multi, Puppy Love, Rebels, Smoking, Theft, Young Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-22
Updated: 2018-04-22
Packaged: 2019-04-26 13:02:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,910
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14402679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/martieek/pseuds/martieek
Summary: An awkward breakfast, some collaborative petty theft, and the beginning of what's sure to be a wild ride.





	Motes & Motors: "We're All Adults, Here"

The breakfast table was quieter than it had ever been before.  Matt, stiff from anxiety, winced when the legs of his chair squealed across the floor as he sat down.  His parents and Pidge were all staring at their respective plates, the only sounds being their forks chirping and Sam Holt’s newspaper rustling intermittently.  Tension made the air feel thick; there was no telling who would break the silence or when.

Mercifully, Pidge piped up with utmost nonchalance, drawing an appreciative glance from Matt.  “Mom, these eggs are quite possibly your best yet.  Did you use a different kind of oil in the pan—”

“Alright, enough.”  Sam sat his newspaper down, folded carefully despite Matt never understanding how someone was supposed to put the pages back the same way they came.  “Matthew?”

“Dad.”  Matt tried to remain aloof even though he felt like he was a little kid again, getting in trouble for digging in Colleen’s rose garden looking for “specimens.”

Sam rested his elbows on the table, peering at Matt from over his glasses.  “We’re waiting for that explanation you promised.”

Colleen, gentle as ever, rested her hand on her husband’s arm.  “Honey, why don’t we wait until after breakfast?”

“It’s fine,” said Matt, growing flushed the longer this drug out.  “Mine’s cold anyway.”  He leaned back in the chair, arms crossed.  “It’s not as big a deal as you think, Dad.  He just needed my help with—”

“Help with what, Matt?”  Though his voice remained steady, it was clear Sam had removed his veil of patience.  “Evading responsibility again?  Has he got you wrapped up in whatever local street thug business is going on around here?”

“Come on, Dad, it’s nothing like that!  He—”  Matt cut himself off, realizing Shiro never did explain where he’d gotten the bruising the night before.  “You act like he’s part of the mafia or something.”

Pidge, with good intentions, chimed in.  “That’d be cool if he was though.  You never know when a connection like that could come in handy.”

Sam and Colleen hushed her with unamused glances, and Matt gave her a look that said, _Sorry you have to be part of this._

“He’s a criminal, Matt," Sam went on. "Him and that other delinquent pair he runs with.  That McClain and what’s-his-name.”

“Oh, please, you’re overreacting.  He only had, like, one petty charge, and all he got was a fine.”

Colleen and Pidge stood to clear the table, silently excusing themselves, but Matt and Sam were in the heat of it now, barely taking notice.

“For now,” Sam refuted.  “They always start out with the smaller crimes.”

“Who’s ‘they’?”  Matt let out a harsh laugh.  “You think Shiro’s gonna turn into some kind of mass murderer because he stole some cigarettes from the gas station and spray painted a couple of bridges?”

“Your father and I are just worried, Matt.”  Pacifying, Colleen came back to the table, her voice soft as she placed a hand on Sam’s shoulder.  “We know how… _influential_ those types of boys can be.”  In the kitchen, Matt heard the water running as Pidge washed the dishes, deliberately busying herself.

“What is this, the drug awareness assembly from eighth grade?”  Matt stood, defensive, gripping the back of his chair.  “I’m a grown adult!  You _are_ aware of that, right?  You can’t tell me who I can and can’t hang out with.  I can make my own choices.  I can’t believe this is even a conversation; I have a _degree_.”

Colleen’s eyes were pleading as Sam stood opposite Matt, stubborn as his son.  “You might be an adult, but you are still living in your parents’ house.  You can’t just do whatever you want.  Anything that happens here affects all of us.”

“Are you really playing the ‘my house, my rules’ card?”  

With a sigh, Sam’s posture changed drastically.  He seemed much older and tired now as he looked at his son with raw concern.  “Matt, I just don’t want to see you go down that same road.  I’ve seen Takashi’s school records.  He was just like you.  He used to be a top student, smart, and a good worker with lots of potential.  Now look at where he is.  I’ve read enough reports on him over these past few years I could publish my own research article.”

Sam’s tone gave Matt enough pause to calm him down for the first time all morning.  He spoke softly, though his guard was still raised.  “You say that like he doesn’t have that potential anymore.  So he made some bad choices, whatever.  That doesn’t mean he can’t be redeemed.”

“And you think you can do that for him?” Colleen took the liberty to ask, catching Matt off-guard with such a profound implication.

“What?  No, that’s not—what, you think I’m hanging out with him because I think I’m gonna ‘fix’ him?  That’s ridiculous.”

Sam raised his eyebrows sympathetically.  “Is it?”

“ _Yes,_ ” Matt asserted, aggressively pushing in his chair.  “He’s not some bird with a broken wing I’m trying to nurse; he’s just a person, and I think he should be treated like one without his mistakes being held against him.  You don’t think he deserves another chance?”

“We’re just saying that you shouldn’t make it your responsibility to give him that chance.”

Matt scoffed, suddenly very tired.  “I’m going for a walk.”

 

* * *

 

After a discreet sweep of the floor, Hunk tucked the package into Shiro’s hand from across the counter, who tucked it into his jacket in one smooth motion.

Hunk made no attempt to mask his disapproving stare.  “You owe me for, like, all of these.  You know that right?  I’m keeping a tally and everything.  I swear, if I lose this job because I’ve gone soft for you three—”

“I’ll make it up to you in a big way, Hunk,” Shiro assured him with an appreciative grin.

“You say that every time.”

“Just _imagine_ how big the final pay-off will be, then.”

Hunk rolled his eyes, losing his edge.  “You’re corrupting me.  Get out before I throw you out.”

Shiro gave him a wink.  “I pay my debts!” he promised over the cowbell on the door as he left the gas station.

Across the street, Lance assumed his usual position of casually draping himself over Keith, trying to take a selfie despite Keith’s half-hearted protests.  Shiro pulled the package out from his jacket, handing each of them a pack of smokes from inside, keeping the third for himself.

“Alright!” Lance cheered, “Hunk pulls through _again_.  What would we do without him?”

“Probably be a little healthier,” Keith mumbled around the filter as he lit a cigarette.

Shiro chuckled, taking the lighter from Keith.  “I feel kinda bad; he’s got too good of a heart.  We shouldn’t take such advantage of it.”

“Hey, he doesn’t _have_ to do anything for us!” Lance argued.  “We’re all grown-ups making our own choices here.”

The trio started off down the street, traffic humming in the distance, a dog barking somewhere.  Shiro was content to walk with no destination, but he offered little to the conversation with Keith and Lance, his mind constantly returning to the night prior at the Holts’.  He and Matt hadn’t had a chance to talk since, and he was riddled with the guilt of assuming he’d caused some sort of rift in the household this morning.

“Earth to Shiro,” Lance said, waving a hand in front of Shiro’s face as he blinked back to the present.

“Quit picking.”  Keith swatted his hand, which Shiro hadn’t realized was at his face, scratching absently.  “The scabs have barely healed.”

Shiro clenched his fist in an attempt to fend off the nervous habit.  “What’s one more scar?”

“Don’t give those guys the pleasure of a reminder,” Keith muttered, a hint of venom in his voice.

Shiro affectionately nudged Keith’s shoulder when Lance stopped a couple steps ahead.  “Hey, isn’t that your boy toy?” he teased, gesturing to the opposite side of the street where Matt was walking toward them with his head down.

“Lance, that’s not—!”  Shiro cut himself off, deciding not to dignify that with a response.  Instead he just cast Lance a chiding look, dropping his cigarette butt in the storm drain before crossing the street to meet Matt, who had been so lost in thought he jumped when Shiro stopped in front of him.

“Hey,” Shiro said with a smile that began to waver as he realized he didn’t know what else to say.

“Hey.”  Matt looked equally unsure, brow knit in worry.  Shiro would have spent more time appreciating how cute it looked if he hadn’t felt largely responsible for those creases.  Across the street, Lance was making kissing noises, but Shiro ignored him, knowing Keith would punch him into silence before too long.  It made Matt blush nonetheless.

“Ignore him,” Shiro sympathized.  “How did, uh, things… go?”

Matt shrugged, making a face that looked like it was meant to be reassuring but only made Shiro feel pity.  “It could have been worse, honestly.  Um,” Matt said, suddenly struggling to make eye contact.  “Can we—we should talk.  About, uh, things?”

“Which things?”  Shiro cocked an eyebrow.

“Y’know.  Us things.  Like, are we… Y’know.  Are we?”

Shiro played dumb, despite his desire to ease Matt’s discomfort.  “Are we…?”  Matt kept tossing nervous glances to Lance and Keith, so Shiro moved to block his line of sight, not wanting to indulge Lance with acknowledgement.  “Matt?”

“Are we, like, a thing?” Matt managed to hiss, flustered and red, much to Shiro’s fond amusement.  “I just—we didn’t—after all that I didn’t know if—I mean, I get it if you don’t—”

Shiro took gentle hold of Matt’s shoulders.  “Please breathe.  It seems like you haven’t done that in a while.”

Matt took a slow but tight breath, some tension easing under Shiro’s touch.  Finally forcing himself to hold Shiro’s gaze, Matt spoke with resignation.  “I’m just saying it’s fine if you don’t wanna see me anymore, after last night.”

Shiro couldn’t restrain a disbelieving laugh.  “Wh—I thought _you_ didn’t want anything more to do with _me_.”

“Why?  Because my parents disapprove?  What is this, the 18th century?  I _like_ you, Shiro.”  It must have slipped by accident in Matt’s frustration, because he visibly recoiled once he said it.  After a second, though, his expression hardened and he added with conviction, “a lot.”

“You ‘like’ me?” Shiro teased in spite of feeling himself flush.  “Are you gonna take me on a date to the swing set after snack?”

“Hey, the swings are _fun_ , asshole.  So are we doing this or what?”

“Doing ‘it’?”

“You know what I mean.”

Shiro shrugged, feigning indifference as he released Matt’s shoulders.  “I dunno, if you can’t even say it…”

With a final huff, Matt regained some composure, though still obviously nervous, talking too fast.  “Shirodoyouwannagooutwithme.”

Shiro tilted his head, looking at Matt with an overwhelming sense of endearment.  “I thought you’d never ask.”  He felt warm as he watched Matt’s posture finally began to relax, face softening into a smile that was like the sun coming out after a storm.  It made Shiro smile in turn as he leaned in to kiss Matt.

“When’s the wedding?” Lance goaded from across the street, followed by Keith’s reflexive, “Shut _up,_ ” and then the whack of his hand against Lance’s chest, but Shiro’s only response was to hold a specific finger behind his back.

**Author's Note:**

> alternative title: "forced expostion" lol
> 
> this was mainly written to help flesh out the Motes & Motors universe without being *too* forced or list-like. i've been wanting to incorporate the other characters in the narrative (since i've only done Matt-and-Shiro-only scenes) as well as establish basically everyone's place here. Ya know, generic context.
> 
> despite this being a glorified info dump, it was actually pretty hard bc 1) i don't think i've ever written an argument before, and i've never been in any real arguments myself lol, so let me know how that scene with the Holts flows for you. did it seem authentic? and 2), i didnt want to make matt's parents seem too harsh or hateful against shiro, but admittedly i have less of a sense for their characters so tell me what your impressions were!
> 
> this isn't the extent of the background info ofc, but this seemed like a good way to do some worldbuilding lol. i wanted to get this posted for Shatt Sunday, even though it's not intensely Shatty this time. I hope you enjoyed reading it anyway! even though i didn't do much, it was nice to put some other characters in the story.
> 
> also, if it wasn't clear, this takes place immediately after the "first kiss" fic i wrote, but i'm not writing these in any deliberate order other than stream of conscience, so forgive the disorder in the posting. (although i'm trying to write them in such a way that they can be read independently of the others and still tell a complete story, let me know how i'm doing with that lol).
> 
> anyway, thanks if ya read all this babbling! if you'd like you can follow my art blog on tumblr @martieek :^)


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